TuneLab
ROY DAVIS JR. in The Lab NYC
Roy Davis Jr. in The Lab NYC is a history lesson from a professor who still knows how to pack the dancefloor, blending soul, acid, and pure Chicago house ethos into a masterclass that feels both educational and utterly vital. The vibe is warm, welcoming, and deeply soulful, with a narrative arc that speaks to decades of dancefloor evolution. Technically, this is soulful house with teeth: operating at an average of 124.2 BPM, the set is harmonically grounded in 12A, but explores 3B and 10B for dynamic shifts.
The energy profile is more balanced than most, with a notable 0.26 high-end presence, allowing for sparkling melodies and vocal hooks to cut through the rich bass and mid-range. The mixing is elegant, often using long blends to let anthems like the 26-minute 'Telex - Moskow Diskow' unfold. The crate digging is legendary. The double-tap of 'Blue Magic - Welcome To The Club' and JT Donaldson's 'Blue Magic' is a sublime lesson in theme and variation.
Roland Clark's 'I Get Deep (Shelter Remix)' is a timeless, vocal-driven epic, and the inclusion of Calvin Harris & Disciples' 'How Deep Is Your Love' (surely in a gritty, house rework) shows a playful, contemporary touch. Elio Riso & Lucio Spain's 'Breaking Minds' is a powerful, driving opener. The journey is expansive: starting with the dark, pulsating 'Breaking Minds', it travels through the soulful heights of 'I Get Deep', revels in the disco-infused marathon of 'Moskow Diskow', and lands in the futuristic, acid-tinged landscape of Sable Sheep's 'Lobotomize'. A full tracklist from a true pioneer.